Men are three times more likely to be volunteers with nonprofit organisations here than women, but there are twice as many full-time female employees in these organisations, a major new Trinity College Dublin study on the non-profit sector has suggested.
According to the new report, which was launched at the college yesterday evening, 1.5 million volunteers spend over 465,000 hours a year working for about 4,200 non-profit organisations surveyed.
The report, based on a questionnaire sent to organisations last year, does not provide an overall figure for the number of people who volunteer in Ireland. Individuals may also frequently volunteer for more than one organisation.
Although the amount of volunteers has increased over the past three years, individuals engaging in voluntary work are working fewer hours, the report also finds.
This may be due to increasing time constraints in modern Irish society, but goes against the popular myth that Ireland is developing into a selfish society, the report's authors believe.
The study estimates that the non-profit sector accounted for around 3.84 per cent of GNP - or approximately €4.5 billion - in 2003. Responding organisations reported a total income of €2.564 billion, with a total expenditure of €2.556 billion in 2003.
But while there were a number of very large organisations, most were small, with nine out of 10 earning less than €40,000. Half of the organisations' expenditure went on staff costs for some 40,000 full-time employees.
Among the reasons for the higher level of male volunteers may be the nature of the organisations in question, for example if they are sporting organisations or clubs.
Similarly, relatively low pay levels and poor career structure in the voluntary sector, as well as the often part-time nature of the work, may be a factor in the higher level of female employees.
In an indication of the importance of Government funding to the nonprofit sector, 60 per cent of reported income came from the State, with only 10 per cent as a result of private donations. A quarter of all private donations go to international development, with one-fifth going to social services.
The Hidden Landscape: First Forays into Mapping Nonprofit Organisations in Ireland, by the Centre for Nonprofit Management at TCD, received 4,300 valid responses to a detailed questionnaire sent out last year.